Actor Robert De Niro provided the narration for a series of commercials directed by Spike Lee for Empire State Development.

Written by

Jon Campbell
| Albany Bureau

Four months after first airing television commercials featuring the voice of Robert De Niro, the state's economic development arm revealed on Thursday what the Manhattan-born actor was paid: Nothing.

De Niro's pro bono narration was featured in a series of six advertisements promoting the state's business climate that aired in New York and nationwide. Each ad ended with the Academy Award winner reciting the slogan of the marketing campaign - "The New New York Works For Business."

It still wasn't clear Thursday what, if anything, Spike Lee was paid to direct one of the advertisements, ...